Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’ restaurant is located in the newer Town Center section of Walt Disney World’s Disney Springs. It features Florida-inspired comfort food and moonshine craft cocktails.

The Food

We started our lunch with a Bunch of Puppies – a basket of golden hush puppies served with pimento cheese and red jalapeño jelly. Now I’ve never met a hush puppy I didn’t like, and these did not disappoint. I was sure they would be my favorite part of lunch, but everything else blew them away.

Next we tried the Fried Chicken and Doughnuts. This plate came with a breast and a thigh of Chef Art Smith’s famous fried chicken. I never loved fried chicken until I tried Art Smith’s. Both pieces of chicken were perfectly crispy on the outside and tender and moist on the inside. The seasoning in the batter was flavorful and left you craving more.

The plate also came with house-made sugar doughnut holes (forget about waffles!), maple syrup and creamy mashed potatoes. When your server asks if you want gravy with the mashed potatoes, say yes! I still dream about that white gravy.

We also ordered a side of Momma’s Mac & Cheese, which was more than enough for the three of us to share. It was rich and creamy and earned high marks from our two-year-old Mac and Cheese connoisseur (We actually had to stop him from licking the plate.).

Other popular items on the menu include the Jasper Board and Church Lady Deviled Eggs for starters, the Fried Chicken Sandwich, and Art’s Famous Fried Chicken, which is comes with cheddar drop biscuits instead of doughnuts. See a theme here? Get the fried chicken!

For mom and dad, there is also an extensive drink menu, which includes some craft moonshine cocktails.

We were too full for dessert but look forward to trying the popular Hummingbird Cake and Shine Cake (that one is not for kids) on our next visit. And there will definitely be a next visit.

Should you take the kids?

Yes! We were promptly seated with our Advanced Dining Reservation (ADR), and our son was given crayons and a coloring page. There was a decent noise level and other kids in the restaurant. Seating is a combination of tables and booths. There are also a lot of fun elements (orange crates, jugs, etc.), an open kitchen and Florida murals if you need to play a couple of rounds of “I Spy” until your food arrives. We also brought a little activity pack, which is standard for us when dining out.

But the best reason to take kids here is the food. It’s comforting, familiar and delicious for the whole family. Kids meals include options like fish sticks, cheeseburgers, and fried chicken tenders. They also come with a choice of veggie (peas and carrots or a salad) and starch (Momma’s Mac & Cheese or creamy mashed potatoes).

But I would recommend doing what we did – share a bunch of different plates so you can try some of everything. No matter what you pick, you can’t go wrong.

Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’ is a welcome addition to Disney Springs and a new family favorite Walt Disney World restaurant.

Kids rating: out of 5.

Tip: Make an Advanced Dining Reservation (ADR) ahead of time (Note: Same day ADRs are not available for this restaurant.). Otherwise, you may end up having to wait a while for a table.